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Not enough writing, not enough communication with you, some of whom are faithful readers. I’m sorry, but mostly this is an apology to myself for not pursuing this creative outlet as much as I should have.

I’m moving to San Francisco next week, almost exactly a year to the day after I left the Bay Area. If you know me then you know how important it has been for me to get back to the city. Everything and everyone I care about is there. I believe that SF will be the key to my personal and professional success, especially now that I’ve graduated and have a chance to discover what it is I can really do on my own.

I won’t write too much about the film I just finished working on. The industry is such that outsiders aren’t welcome, and discussing set happenings on a blog just seems to invade the privacy of everyone I’ve worked with. I will say that I spent a great two months in Detroit.

I need to get back into reading good books. Like I said when I was in Michigan, I’ve felt really disconnected from the literary scene for several months. I think that now is the time to start gearing up for a summer’s worth of reading and writing.

Ironically enough, the idea of fate seems to be following me around lately. Today was the second time I heard about fate in regard to my appearance. I was calling people from the Hollins English Department list to find housing on Wednesday and after about four calls, I finally got through to someone whose listing looked really good. They offered a furnished room with included utilities and an owner/housemate who is willing to cook communal meals. Sounded too good to be true, and I was afraid the rent would be crazy. So I called and the price was pretty good, $375. It’s not as good as something in the high $200s, which I would have gotten if B and I had managed to be roommates this year, but it’s pretty good.

Coming from Berkeley, where I paid about $530 to live in the living room for the past year, this was a great deal. I started talking to the woman, and she seemed nice and very willing to have me as a roommate without even meeting me beforehand (which is pretty much impossible unless I stayed with someone for a couple of days for free when I get there while trying to find housing). She has another roommate, an adjunct professor in his forties at some school in Roanoke, and two cats. Sounds pretty good. I love cats.

I called her today to confirm the date and to ask if I could do some work around the house in exchange for lower rent, and she agreed. So now I’m going to be paying $350. As we were talking, she started telling me about how she had really needed someone to take the room and was having a conversation about how she wanted someone intelligent, artistic, and clean (that’s her wishlist). Apparently, I called twenty minutes after she had that conversation with someone. After she told me that, she continued to talk about “The Secret,” and at that point I tried to be polite, but I really don’t believe in it.

I find it interesting that something like this happened to me. It’s rare for me to be lucky, especially in the housing department. I’ve always been screwed because I either had to do all the work, or because I started looking too late. Let’s hope this place is as good as it sounds.

I hate blogging. Whenever I think of something to write, I sit down to write it here and instantly forget what I was going to say. Some blog posts stay unwritten, while others are written over the span of three to five hours.

I came dangerously close to calling JJ the other night. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve decided to do something and then gone back on my decision a couple of days later. Only this time it’s been three weeks. At least I think it’s been three weeks. Each day has blurred into the next.

I don’t have anything interesting to say today, except that I’ve found a place to live, and hopefully this whole thing works out. I’m still deciding on a day to fly out, but it will most likely be the 25th, and I’ll be flying to Raleigh and taking the Greyhound to Roanoke. Flying to Roanoke isn’t possible because every airline that flies there charges for bags.

I’ve been practicing my southern accent. Hopefully I’ll be able to impress some of you in the future.

Alright, I’m trying something new (again). I’m thinking that I should have done this ages ago. Basically, now you can see examples of my writing AND a widget to donate money towards my living/moving expenses to Roanoke. This is obviously much improved over the idea that a person will go to fundable and then go to my blog to read my writing. Not many people have the patience to do that.

Anyway, if you’re up to it, feel free to donate a dollar or something. The good thing about chipin is that there’s no minimum donation (I hope).

Also, here are some facts about why I’m not eligible for loans and cannot get a job. Here is a list (ongoing) about jobs I’ve applied for recently.

What else can I tell you? There were a lot of arguments for and against donating to my cause on the MFA Blog. The main reason why I want to go to Hollins is that it will benefit me in the long run. With an MFA degree (which is considered an advanced degree no matter how ironic it sounds), I am more qualified for higher education jobs (such as teaching at the university level), and can possibly be sponsored for an employment visa.

I also get the chance to write for two years, and to take part in workshops with other people who consider themselves serious writers. Furthermore, the MFA process is great for networking, as I’ve met many people during the last eight months, people who are committed to writing and supporting other writers. For me, this is just as important as the degree and the writing itself.

As ridiculous and far-fetched as it sounds, in the back of my mind I’m still staying positive about the idea that I might win the $10k Norman Mailer writing prize,the results of which I should be finding out within the next couple of weeks.

I forgot how much paperwork was involved in going to a new school. Health forms and all this junk. Not to mention the fact that I have to find a place to live. Meanwhile, my old apartment situation in Berkeley remains unresolved. Hopefully my roommates were able to terminate the lease, so I can get my full deposit back. $700 is a lot of money.